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Light Division
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Rules assistance for Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
Rules assistant for Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare is an expansion for Arabian Nightmare: The Kuwait War released in 1991 for 2 players and 240 minutes per game. It was designed by Austin Bay and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
First an add-on for Arabian Nightmare: The Kuwait War. Adding a map of Western Iraq and additional counters, plus rules for expanded games as originally published, plus an Operation Desert Sword scenario (since re-named "Operation Desert Sabre"). Game Scale: Turn: 1-3 days for Military Action Segments (combat units), 3-6 days for Political Action Segments Hex: 30 km Unit: Battalion to Corps, Naval Squadrons, Air Wings Game Inventory: Two 22" X 34" mapsheet Four countersheets (600 1/2" counters) One 36 page Military Game Rules booklet One 12 page Political Game Rules booklet One 8 page introductory Game Rules booklet One 12 page Summary Sheet Rules booklet One 12 page Desert Sword Expansion Rules Booklet
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- 3W (World Wide Wargames)
Questions and answers
Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare is 240 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare has a complexity rating of 3.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare belongs to these categories: Wargame, Modern Warfare, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare are: Austin Bay. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Desert Sword: Arabian Nightmare as an expansion for Arabian Nightmare: The Kuwait War. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Arabian Nightmare: The Kuwait War to use it. Check that your edition of Arabian Nightmare: The Kuwait War is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.